"Action for Healthy Kids" Grant Awarded & State Recognition Received

Stay and Play was recently awarded the "Action for Healthy Kids" grant and in July was notified that this grant was reviewed at the state level. We have been deemed a successful school and have now been recommended for National Recognition.

Song Recorded and Rights to Use for Fundraising Given

The students of LCI's 5th Grade Choir, under the direction of Marcia Perrine, sang the song "Everybody Needs a Friend" by Mike Wilson (Plank Road Publishing) for our Stage 2 Groundbreaking Ceremony on May 13, 2016. From there, Mrs. Meadows and Mrs. Perrine gained permission from the publisher to record the choir singing this special song, as well as permission to use the recording for our next video update for Stay and Play. We were also given permission to sell the DVDs to be used as a fundraiser with any funds raised to go toward Stay and Play.

Corporate-matching Employee Donation Received

Numerous individuals and organizations continue to help us move toward completion with funding. Recently Stay and Play received $1,000 from a matching corporation-employee donation. We cannot say thank you enough to individuals, companies, and organizations who continue to see the vision and feel passionately for it to come to fruition.

Matching Grant Met

LCI could not have been more pleased when we were able to notify the Little Cypress Lions Club to say that our matching grant campaign was successful... so much so that we met our goal! This will allow the equipment to be purchased and ordered and set for delivery. Any additional funds will roll over to begin the funding of Stage 3.

​The dream is becoming a reality! Thanks to many donations by many individuals, organizations, and businesses; in addition to several grants and awards- LCI Stay and Play is just under $10,000 of making this dream a real-deal. So real that we've scheduled the Groundbreaking for Stage 2 on May 13th! (We aren't scared...get it? Friday the 13th... Anyway...)

Recently the Little Cypress Lions Club notified us of their intention of matching every donation made to Stay and Play, up to $5,000. Every penny has helped us get to this point, and this last bit of generosity on the LC Lions Club part makes our end goal in sight!--- a playground for EVERYONE to enjoy!

Entergy Grant Received

​We have received another $500 grant from Entergy! We are now only about $3,000 short of what it will take to cover the cost of the sidewalk, foundation and rubberized coating that will provide the 5 1/2' cushioned fall zone for our equipment.

We are in the process of finalizing the design of Stay and Play which will let us know how much more we will need to raise before we can begin construction. (Thanks to Granger Chevrolet, the LCM Honey Bears and Port Arthur Seahawks, two of our pieces of equipment have already been purchased.) Our dream is coming true!! Stay tuned for more updates!

-posted from Brianna Marshall from LCI's Stay and Play Page

Does Your Company have a Donation-Matching Policy?

Stay and Play has many individuals who have rallied around its cause and mission, spreading the word every chance they get to tell others about what we're trying to get accomplished. Many people have given of their time and efforts; and many have given individual donations. As Mrs. Meadows continues to write grants and hunt for money to complete the various phases of the project, we are that much closer to our goal when individuals donate. You may be surprised to know that many companies and organizations will make a dollar-for-dollar matching donation to the charity of your choosing. A friend of Stay and Play recently filled out the needed paperwork and upon making a cash donation to Stay and Play, the amount was doubled by this company's generous matching funds program.It is definitely something to think about if you are considering donating to Stay and Play.... because every little bit helps us get that much closer to the final dream of having a place where everyone can play.

Stakeholder's Dinner & Meeting

Last Thursday, a meeting was held as a way to rally everyone interested in showing support for Stay and Play and discuss the overall project. While this project has been about seeing a dream come to life, many of the goals we have been able to cross off our list have been done in part due to people spreading the word about the project, and others wanting to help out once they hear about it. Mitch Evers, from Playworld Systems came and presented a bit about his company and the inclusive play areas they build. One of the things he said that caught my attention was when looking at building a play area for an organization, Playworld starts by looking at the needs of the students and grows the play area from there. I really liked that! It was just another reminder that our kids are what Stay and Play is all about in the first place.... because every kid deserves a place to play.

Booster Campaign!- ONE Week Left

We have one week left for our Booster Campaign! If you haven't had the opportunity to purchase your Stay and Play T-shirt, please do so soon! Deadline is March 28, 2014. Shirts will be delivered around April 11th. Very exciting to be a part of such a wonderful opportunity for our school and students! Dream Big!www.booster.com/stayandplay

Dream Come True

It is has been quite amazing to see people pull together to help with Stay and Play- to share in the vision and help make a dream come true for many. We started our Booster campaign, which is a T-shirt selling fundraiser and awareness site, last Monday and have sold 40 shirts to date and raised $583 dollars so far through T-shirts and generous donations. It is truly a blessing to see.

We will also be holding a Stake Holder's meeting soon as a way for people who have expressed an interest in helping an opportunity to meet, hear more about Stay & Play, the stages of the project, and where we are in this effort to date.

Thank you to all who have followed the dream, the journey, and now the reality of Stay and Play. Your continued support mean more than you could possibly know!

LCI's Newsletter Concerning Stay & Play

Little Cypress Intermediate is excited to launch an Awareness Campaign for Stay and Play Recreational Area being built here at our school! This started as a dream that all students, regardless of disability or special need, would have a place to play. While our school doesn’t boast the finest playground around (some would even call our open-field concept bare), the majority of our students aren’t bound to a particular area; the physical characteristics of the land doesn’t matter to them, for they can run and jump and skip along anywhere. But for a smaller number, playing with friends has never been a reality due to physical limitations. This dream to provide a school where all students have a place to play was the beginnings of Stay and Play. This playground area will provide the accommodations needed for students with disabilities, but all students are welcomed to play here. Stay and Play Recreational Area is being built in stages and is funded solely on donations and grants. We have many friends and community members and organizations helping with Stay and Play, but it will take everyone working together to make this happen. Please help spread the word about this visionary dream that will one day be a reality…because everyone deserves a place to play!